Department for Business and Trade

Company Liquidations

Lord Sikka: To ask His Majesty's Government how manyliquidations began (1) five, (2) 10, and (3) 15, years ago but are still not finalised.

Lord Offord of Garvel: Time Period (years)Number of Companies in Liquidation0 - 556,3635 - 1010,04210 - 158,18915 +20,822 The figures show when the most recent liquidation process began for distinct entities. These figures include liquidations notified to the Registrar of Companies up to 31 December 2023. These figures are being provided as management information and are unaudited and are subject to change. They should only be used for indicative purposes. Further information about companies in liquidation is available in the statistical tables published by Companies House on a quarterly basis.

Post Office: Audit

Lord Sikka: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had withthe Financial Reporting Council in relation to external audits of the Post Office.

Lord Offord of Garvel: The Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry continues to gather evidence about the Horizon scandal. The Government will consider any lessons learned in respect of audit and other matters once the Inquiry has reported. We have regular discussions with the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) regarding its regulation of statutory audit, while recognising its role as an independent regulator. The FRC is monitoring developments in relation to the Post Office.

Horizon IT System: Prosecutions

Lord Sikka: To ask His Majesty's Government what (1) financial, and (2) legal, support they will provide to sub-postmasters to bring private prosecutions against past directors of the Post Office for concealing faults in the Horizon IT system and falsely prosecuting them.

Lord Offord of Garvel: The Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry continues to gather evidence about the Horizon scandal. The Metropolitan Police are a core participant in the Inquiry; it will be for them and the Crown Prosecution Service to consider any prosecutions. The Government does not fund private prosecutions.

Ministry of Justice

Criminal Cases Review Commission

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the adequacy of resources allocated to the Criminal Cases Review Commission.

Lord Bellamy: As part of the departmental allocation process, we assess the needs of individual organisations against the overarching backdrop of the wider departmental finances. The CCRC’s budget has increased year on year since 2020-21 both to increase the size of its caseworker team and to carry out more outreach work with people who may need their services. The budget for 2023/24 was set at just under £8 million, which is an increase of £1.26 million or 18% since 2021/22. Its 2024-25 allocation is under consideration.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Ukraine: War Crimes

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to the potential of an international tribunal for delivering reparations to victims of the war in Ukraine.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK is committed to holding Russia to account for its actions in Ukraine and making Russia pay for the damage. We continue to engage in the Core Group established to explore options for a Special Tribunal on the Crime of Aggression. We support exploring the creation of an internationalised tribunal, rooted in Ukraine's jurisdiction, with international elements. Our support to the International Criminal Court and the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine is also ongoing. Alongside the EU and US, the UK has launched the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group to support Ukraine's domestic prosecutions of war crimes.

Ukraine: Crimes against Humanity

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are planning to introduce legislation to amend the International Criminal Court Act 2001 to enable UK courts to prosecute non-citizens and non-residents for crimes against humanity, war crimes or genocide in Ukraine.

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to propose legislation to ensure that the UK is not a safe haven for perpetrators of war crimes in Ukraine.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK legal system is built on the tradition that, as a general rule, the authorities of the State in whose territory an offence is committed are best placed to prosecute the crime. However, universal jurisdiction applies to torture and other grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions. It is a decision for the independent prosecuting authorities whether to prosecute such an offence. The UK remains committed to holding perpetrators of war crimes in Ukraine to account, including through our support to the International Criminal Court. We have also delivered a £6.2 million package to support Ukraine's domestic investigations and prosecutions.

Sudan: Humanitarian Aid

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government how quickly their decision to increase humanitarian aid for war victims in Sudan will be made available; what it will be used for; and how it will be deployed.

Lord Benyon: We are providing £89 million for this financial year. The vast majority of this will go towards humanitarian support. This will include funding to UNICEF which will provide emergency and life-saving food assistance to support people particularly in hard-to reach areas in Sudan, including nutrition, water and hygiene services for 500,000 children under five. Current access into Sudan remains highly constrained and our top humanitarian priority remains securing immediate humanitarian access and operational security guarantees for humanitarian agencies.

Sudan: Food Supply

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of people who are dying of hunger or who are food insecure in Sudan.

Lord Benyon: In Sudan 17.7 million people (37 percent of the population) are now thought to be experiencing acute food insecurity. This is likely to worsen in the coming months in parts of West Darfur, Khartoum, and among the displaced population more broadly. In 2024/2025, we are providing £89 million for Sudan, which will include assistance to address food insecurity.

South Sudan: Armed Conflict

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the war in Sudan on South Sudan, including (1) the numbers of displaced people and refugees, and (2) the impact on its economy caused by the loss of receipts from the export of oil.

Lord Benyon: The UK recognises the significant pressure that the Sudan crisis is putting on South Sudan and commends them for their support to the over 630,000 people that have crossed the border since the start of the conflict. Disruption to the oil pipeline has reduced the South Sudanese government's oil production capabilities and subsequently their income, causing inflationary pressures and an increase in food prices - the UK Government continues to monitor the economic situation closely. South Sudan is facing its own humanitarian crisis, exacerbated by the Sudan conflict, with 9 million people expected to need humanitarian assistance in 2024. The UK has allocated £7.75 million to support existing and new Sudanese refugees, as well as vulnerable returnees and host communities in South Sudan.

Treasury

Inflation

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government, following recent remarks from the deputy governor of the Bank of England, Dave Ramsden, that inflation could remain around the two per cent target for the next three years, what steps they are taking to ensure sustainable economic growth in this environment.

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to recent data released by S&P Global showing that April had the fastest rise in business activity since last May,what steps they aretaking to sustain this momentum and ensure continued economic growth.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The government is continuing to pursue an ambitious policy agenda to increase sustainable economic growth and productivity across the economy. This includes making full expensing permanent, announcing measures to boost labour supply, backing the UK’s priority growth sectors, and addressing long-term barriers to investment through planning and grid connection reforms. The IMF forecasts that the UK will have the third fastest cumulative growth in the G7 over the 2024-2029 period and the OBR expects that policies announced in the previous three fiscal events will increase the size of the economy by 0.7% by 2028-29.

Ministry of Defence

Iran: Israel

Lord West of Spithead: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks byLord True on 15 April (HL Deb col 844), whether all those ships mentioned have funding in the Ministry of Defence programme.

The Earl of Minto: The Type 26, Type 31, Dreadnought, Astute and SSN-AUKUS are all fully funded, along with the Fleet Solid Support ships, and one of two Multi-Role Ocean Surveillance Vessels, (MROS) has been procured. Funding for these programmes is split between the Navy and Defence Nuclear Enterprise, which primarily funds Dreadnought, Astute and SSN-AUKUS. The Multi-Role Support Ship, the Type 32, the Type 83 programmes and the second MROS are all within, or in the process of, moving into the concept phase and therefore further work is required to establish their funding requirements. During this phase the procurement and whole life costs of the programme are determined. The programme and procurement strategy for these programmes will be decided following the concept phase. This is consistent with programmes of this size and complexity at this stage of their development.

Department of Health and Social Care

Hospital Wards: Females

Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne: To ask His Majesty's Government how they plan to strengthen the privacy and dignity of female patients in NHS hospitals.

Lord Markham: The Government is committed to upholding the rights of women and girls and ensuring they are properly represented in healthcare services, communications, and guidance.That is why we are currently consulting on updates to the NHS Constitution for England to shape the principles and values of the National Health Service and ensure the privacy, dignity and safety of all patients, including women, are embedded in how it operates.Our proposed changes to the NHS Constitution reinforce the NHS’s commitment to providing single-sex wards and will empower patients to request that intimate care is carried out by someone of the same biological sex, where reasonably possible.

Avian Influenza

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact ofthe transmission of H5N1 bird flu to humans.

Lord Markham: The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) works closely with partners to monitor, investigate, and periodically assess the risk to human health of avian influenza (influenza A(H5N1)). This includes monitoring human cases, patterns of transmission of influenza A(H5N1) in animals, surveillance of humans exposed to infected birds, and assessing how well circulating viruses are matched to vaccines.Our assessment of the risks of A(H5N1) to the United Kingdom is kept under regular review and is revised when new evidence is identified. Updates to this work are published in the UKHSA’s avian influenza technical briefings. The UKHSA also contributes to the World Health Organization’s global assessments.There continues to be sporadic human cases of A(H5N1) detected globally, including both mild and severe infections. The UK does not currently have outbreaks of influenza A(H5N1) in poultry or other captive birds, although sporadic detections continue in wild birds. The UK has self-declared zonal freedom from highly pathogenic avian influenza for Great Britain with effect from 29 March 2024.

Schools: Mental Health Services

Lord Watson of Invergowrie: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have tofund the national roll-out of mental health support teams across all schools and colleges in England.

Lord Markham: Mental health support teams now cover approximately 44% of pupils in England and we are working to increase this coverage to 50% of pupils by March 2025. The further rollout of mental health support teams will be subject to future spending decisions.

NHS: Standards

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government how many NHS boards have included sustainability in their assurance framework.

Lord Markham: It is the legal duty for integrated care boards (ICBs) and their partner National Health Service foundation trusts under section 14Z44 of the NHS Act 2006 to consider sustainability when exercising their functions. ICBs and their partner NHS foundation trusts must consider section 1 of the Climate Change Act 2008, concerning United Kingdom net zero emission targets, and section 5 of the Environment Act 2021, concerning environmental targets. ICBs and their NHS foundation trusts must also adapt to any current or predicted impact of climate change identified in the most recent report under section 56 of the Climate Change Act 2008.NHS England does not collect data on how many ICBs have included sustainability in their assurance framework.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus: Vaccination

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government how they will assess (1)wider productivity, and (2) economic benefits, when considering new immunisation programmes for infant respiratory syncytial virus.

Lord Markham: The independent Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advises the Department on the approach to vaccination and immunisation. The JCVI evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) programme was based on the health benefits of an infant RSV programme and the potential healthcare cost savings from preventing cases and hospitalisations.The Department did not ask the JCVI to complete an assessment of wider productivity and economic benefits of an immunisation programme, and the Department did not assess this separately for RSV.

Bowel Cancer: Screening

Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government whichgroups have a lower-than-average rate of participation in home-kit bowel cancer screening; and what plans they have to increase participation.

Lord Markham: The national IT system for the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme does not routinely collect data that could identify groups that have a lower-than-average uptake rate of the fecal immunochemical bowel cancer screening test.Research has found that groups which are less likely to take part in bowel screening include men, people from ethnic minority backgrounds, and people in more deprived areas. Physical or mental health conditions can also make carrying out a home test more difficult.NHS England has started work to improve its national screening IT systems through the Digital Transformation of Screening programme. This will enable screening providers to record protected characteristics, to more accurately identify groups with the lowest uptake, and target initiatives to improve uptake.

Screening

Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government what practical assistance is available for those with a physical or mental condition which prevents them from doing medical tests at home, such as bowel cancer screening, unaided.

Lord Markham: We are aware of the issues faced by some people with physical or mental health conditions that can make attending a screening appointment, or carrying out a home test, more difficult. Currently, national screening IT systems do not have the facilities to flag conditions for individuals which could make it more difficult to carry out the bowel cancer screening, fecal immunochemical test (FIT) at home. It is therefore recommended that individuals contact their general practice (GP) in these situations, so that GPs can work with the screening provider to arrange further support. For example, carrying out a FIT test at the GP or at home, with the support of a family member or community nurse. NHS England has started work to improve its national screening IT systems through the Digital Transformation of Screening programme. This will enable screening providers to flag heath issues that may make carrying out a FIT test at home more difficult, and to offer any appropriate support.

Strokes: Rehabilitation

Baroness Wheeler: To ask His Majesty's Government how they plan to ensure the sustainability of the stroke rehabilitation innovations developed through theStrokeQuality Improvement in Rehabilitation (SQuIRe) projects to ensure that every stroke survivor has the best chance of recovery.

Lord Markham: NHS England is prioritising implementation of the National Service Model for an Integrated Community Stroke Service (ICSS), which includes delivery of specialist stroke rehabilitation at home and in care homes, improving life after stroke support, and six month follow-up reviews, by working closely with the voluntary sector. The ICSS model is vital to support physical, cognitive, and psychological recovery, return to work, and quality of life.The ICSS model includes provision of tailored and patient centred reablement care, through joint work between the National Health Service and social care. Provision of peer support and six months reviews, information, and longer-term support in the community is also achieved through integrated and collaborative working with the voluntary sector.The National Stroke Quality Improvement in Rehabilitation (SQuIRe) programme is driving implementation of the ICSS model in England. NHS England funds SQuIRe posts in each NHS region, to work with integrated care boards (ICBs) in improving provision of community-based stroke rehabilitation, promoting stroke recovery, and improving patient outcomes. ICBs also receive a separate funding allocation to support prevention services, which include stroke rehabilitation.

Out-patients: Attendance

Lord Swire: To ask His Majesty's Government what was the cost to the NHS of missed appointments at (1) hospitals, and (2) GP surgeries, in each of the past five years.

Lord Markham: It is not possible to produce an estimate of the true cost to the National Health Service of these missed appointments, as this will depend on whether NHS staff were still able to use the time productively, for example by seeing other patients instead, or doing other work. NHS England advises local NHS organisations, general practices and trusts to plan for preventing and dealing with missed appointments. These include ensuring patients can cancel appointments in convenient ways, such as by text message or through online cancellation forms and offering telephone consultations if these better suit the patients’ requirements.

Antibiotics

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reportAntibiotic underdosing and disposal in NHS organisations across Great Britain, published in November 2023; andwhat discussionsthey have had with the Care Quality Commission on integrating line flushing policies and practices into the assessment framework for care provided in England.

Lord Markham: Officials are aware of, and have considered, the findings of the report Antibiotic underdosing and disposal in NHS organisations across Great Britain. Officials from the Department have not had any recent discussions with the Care Quality Commission on integrating line flushing policies and practices into the assessment framework for care provided in England. General guidance on prescribing and the use of medicines is published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence in an online-only format. Good clinical practice is to flush an intravenous line with saline after a medicine has been administered, to ensure the full dose is delivered to the patient. This is not unique to antibiotics.

Department for Transport

Cars: Insurance

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government, following a 43 per cent increase in car insurance prices compared to this time last year, whatsteps they are taking to address the underlying factors that contribute to those high premiums, such as rising claims costs and inflation.

Lord Davies of Gower: Whilst it is the responsibility of individual motor insurers to set their premiums and the terms and conditions of their policies, and the Government does not intervene or seek to control the market, we are engaging directly with the sector at an official and Ministerial level, with HMT Ministers who lead on this issue, to help us to establish if there are potential solutions within our power which will benefit motorists. The Government is determined that insurers should treat customers fairly and firms are required to do so under the Financial Conduct Authority rules.The FCA has been clear it will be monitoring firms to make sure they provide products that are fair value, and, where necessary, it will act.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Avian Influenza: Disease Control

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risk of H5N1 bird flu, following an outbreak in cattle in multiple US states with reports that many cattle are asymptomatic; what monitoring they carry out on (1) cattle, (2) other farm animals, (3) wild mammals, and (4) humans in contact with cattle; and what, if any, additional biosecurity measures are planned or being developed.

Lord Douglas-Miller: The Government is in close contact with counterparts in the United States on the incidents of influenza of avian origin in cattle in the USA. We know that the strain of virus involved has not been detected in the UK. Defra is working closely with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), the Food Standards Agency, the Cabinet Office and with international partners on risk assessments to consider the routes of incursion, animal to animal spread and animal to human spill-over and to review our well-tested surveillance mechanisms and preparedness activities in light of this emerging situation. In response to the unprecedented global outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 in wild and kept birds, the UK's avian influenza national reference laboratory at the Animal and Plant Health Agency Weybridge laboratory has increased its surveillance in both wild birds and wild mammals and genome analysis of the virus itself while keeping a close eye on its spread in global populations of wildlife. In addition, we have published an ‘Influenza A (H5N1) infection in mammals: suspect case definition and diagnostic testing criteria’ on gov.uk to support veterinary professionals and others in knowing when to report suspicion. This case definition will be updated in due course as further information on the emerging situation in cattle in the USA becomes available. We are monitoring the situation closely but at this time have no reason to suspect the virus is circulating in our cattle, nor is this strain of the virus circulating in Europe. We have had no recent cases of avian influenza in kept birds, or findings of influenza of avian origin in kept or wild mammals, and the risk level from wild birds is low. We have discussed the need for surveillance in wildlife, domestic animals and humans with DHSC and UKHSA and are considering the case for additional surveillance for influenza of avian origin in cattle and how best such animal health surveillance could be undertaken.

Soil: Environment Protection

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect soil monitoring data will become available from the Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment Programme.

Lord Benyon: The Natural Capital Ecosystem Assessment is a new environmental monitoring programme, assessing the state and condition of ecosystems in England and their natural capital. The field data, including soils data, is being collected on a 5-year cycle that runs from 2023/24 to 2027/28. Final statistics and data will be published after 2027/28 when 100% of the data has been collected and there are outline plans to publish interim statistics, mid cycle, once 50% of the field data has been collected.

Agriculture: Land Use

The Earl of Caithness: To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of Grade 1 and 2 lowland peat is let on annual farm business tenancies; and what steps they are taking to ensure this land is not being farmed in a manner that is accelerating its degradation and threatening future food security.

Lord Benyon: Peat policy is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only. Defra does not have any data on the percentage of Grade 1 and 2 lowland peat let on annual farm business tenancies. In the Environmental Improvement Plan, we said that we are committed to halting the degradation of our lowland peat soils which causes such significant harm to the environment. We have also agreed to take forward action on all recommendations of the Lowland Agricultural Peat Task Force Chair's report, recognising the vital role that lowland peat soils play in producing food for our nation and supporting our rural economies. We are currently funding approximately £12.5million on projects on paludiculture, local collaboration, and water management, as first steps towards a more sustainable future for lowland agricultural peat. We are also developing a new England Peat Map that will help us identify areas for future intervention.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Disadvantaged: North East

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government how they plan to reduce the rates of deaths of despair in the North East, which has over double the rate of London; and what assessment they have made of using rates of deaths of despair to assess progress on levelling up.

Baroness Swinburne: The Supplemental Substance Misuse Treatment and Recovery (SSMTR) Grant is the mechanism by which local authorities receive Drug Strategy funding to increase substance misuse treatment service capacity and the quality of interventions people receive. The SSMTR Grant is made available to local authorities on the condition of maintaining existing funding through the Public Health Grant. Details of the SSMTR Grant and the Inpatient Detox (IPD) Grant allocations for the North East are set out below.  2022-232023-242024-252022-23 to 2024-25SSMTR£7,051,992£13,677,970£24,787,253£45,517,215IPD£727,295£727,295£727,295£2,181,885DHSC is also providing £1,157,212 in funding to three local authorities in the North East (Middlesborough, Newcastle and Durham) to improve access to drug and alcohol treatment services for people who sleep rough or who are at risk of sleeping rough. On 11 September 2023, the Government published a Suicide Prevention Strategy for England, with over 130 actions that we believe will make progress towards our ambition to reduce the suicide rate within two and a half years. The Strategy includes an intention to write guidance for local areas to support them to align their own strategies with the national strategy. On 4 March 2024, we announced that 79 organisations up and down the country, including some in the North East, have been allocated funding from the £10 million Suicide Prevention VCSE Grant Fund. These organisations, from local, community-led through to national, are delivering a broad and diverse range of activity that will prevent suicides and save lives. The Levelling Up White Paper set out 12 missions, including the health mission, focused on improving Healthy Life Expectancy and narrowing the gap between local areas where it is highest and lowest. We are supporting people to live healthier lives, helping the NHS and social care to provide the best treatment and care for patients and tackling health disparities through national and system interventions such as the NHS’s Core20PLUS5 programme. We are monitoring progress on a range of behavioural risk factors and underlying drivers of health, which are likely to impact on the health mission. We continue to use metrics that are publicly available and routinely updated to measure the levelling up missions, chosen to show as comprehensive a picture across the UK as possible. We are committed to developing this data picture and improving understanding of health disparities at a local level.

Regional Planning and Development

The Lord Bishop of Southwark: To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made regarding the 12 targets set out in theLevelling Up the United Kingdom white paper, published on 2 February 2022.

Baroness Swinburne: As set out in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act, the Government will publish an annual report on mission progress, this will detail the progress that has been made against the 12 missions set out in the Statement on Missions in January 2024.Levelling Up is a long-term ambition, but we are already making headway. 64% of England’s population and 90% of the North are now covered by a devolution deal. We have met the 5G element of the digital connectivity mission early, achieving 5G coverage for the majority of the population with 72% of premises having outdoor access to a 5G signal. The disparity in employment rates between regions has reduced and productivity has grown faster across many Northern cities than London.

Local Government: Audit

Lord Shipley: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current backlog in local authority audits; and what plans they have to deliver all outstanding audit opinions by their proposed deadline of 30 September.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: The Government has been clear that the significant backlog of local audits in England is unacceptable. It is taking action to deal with this backlog and put the system on a sustainable footing. On 8 February DLUHC, with local audit system organisations, issued a Joint Statement setting out a clear package of measures to meet these challenges, alongside the launch of DLUHC and National Audit Office consultations.We proposed a statutory backstop date of 30 September 2024 for the publication of audited accounts for all years up to and including 2022/23. This will enable local authorities and firms to focus on the most recent accounts as quickly as possible. Five years of further backstop dates would allow assurance to be gradually rebuilt. The Government also recognises that important questions concerning systemic challenges must be addressed.The Government is carefully reviewing consultation responses and will respond in due course.  Joint Statement (pdf, 241.9KB)

Department for Work and Pensions

Pensioners: Poverty

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Fabian Society reportWhen I'm 64: A strategy to tackle poverty before state pension age,published on 17 April, which found that the number of people aged between 60 and the state pension age living in poverty increased by 140 per cent between 2010 and 2022, how many people currently aged over 60 and not yet eligible for the state pension are living in poverty.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: The latest statistics show that in 2022/23, 20% (0.9m) of individuals aged over 60 and not yet eligible for the state pension were living in absolute poverty after housing costs. Statistics on the number of individuals living in absolute and relative poverty in the UK are published annually in the “Households Below Average Income” publication at Households below average income: for financial years ending 1995 to 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)(opens in a new tab). The latest available data with age breakdowns can be found on Stat-Xplore: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/. The latest statistics published on 21 March 2024 are for the financial period 2022/23.

Unemployment

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessmentthey have made of the rise in (1) unemployment, and (2) economic inactivity, highlighted in the Office for National Statistics data, published on 16 April; and whatsteps they are takingto support individuals transitioning back into employment.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: The Department monitors a wide range of indicators to understand trends in employment, unemployment and inactivity. This is in line with advice from the ONS who say “we would advise caution when interpreting short-term changes in headline rates and recommend using them as part of our suite of labour market indicators” given the recent volatility in Labour Force Survey (LFS) estimates. DWP supports people across the country to move into and progress in work and is committed to reducing economic inactivity. The Department delivers comprehensive employment support including through face-to-face time with Work Coaches in our Jobcentres and via more intensive contracted employment programmes. Last year we also announced a wide range of additional support via the Spring Budget and the Back to Work Plan including extending and expanding our Restart scheme, announcing our new WorkWell service and expanding Additional Jobcentre Support.

Home Office

Police: Recruitment

The Lord Bishop of Southwark: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to hold chief officers of police to account for the appropriate vetting of adverse information on police recruits regarding (1) security, (2) public safety, and (3) the confidence of the community.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: Police forces carry out their vetting independently of government and in line with the College of Policing’s vetting code of practice and vetting authorised professional practice (APP) guidance, which are both continually reviewed. The code sets out the role that a thorough and effective vetting regime has in helping to ensure public trust and confidence in those working in policing.The College’s most recent code, published in July 2023, sets out how adverse information should be considered in vetting decisions, as well as provides a number of requirements on chief officers, including the need to assess the risks posed by the individual undergoing vetting both to the public and the police service.His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) hold forces to account by routinely carry out independent inspections of forces’ effectiveness and efficiency, which include assessments on vetting. The inspectorate has recently set up a new rolling inspection programme on integrity which will look at the work of professional standards units alongside force vetting and counter-corruption arrangements.The government is supporting policing by creating a statutory requirement for officers to hold and maintain vetting clearance, as well as creating a new set of regulations which will govern how those who fail vetting can be dismissed. In January this year, the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) also published outcomes from its exercise ensuring all officers and staff were checked against the Police National Database (PND).

Police: Orphans

The Lord Bishop of Southwark: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Orpheopolis system of French orphanages for the orphaned children of police officers; and what assessment they have made of the benefits of introducing such a facility in England and Wales.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: This Government has no plans to introduce a facility specifically for orphaned children of police officers.The death of an officer is devastating for all in policing, but most deeply felt by their loved ones and children. It is important that bereaved families have access to the appropriate support, primarily from the police force. Depending on the particular circumstances, there is a range of benefits payable to children on the death of an officer under both the occupational pension and injury benefit schemes. There are also a number of police charities providing support for bereaved families and children, which provide access to counselling and peer support.This Government also introduced the Police Covenant, to support the police workforce and their families, recognising the risks and demands that can be involved. We have funded the National Police Wellbeing Service to develop and launch the first national family support package, providing advice for the families of officers on mental health and fatigue, as well as practical resources for those with young children to help them understand the role of policing.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

BBC Radio

Lord Kamall: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the BBC’s announcement of the launch of spin-off stations on BBC Sounds before Ofcom have completed their regulatory scrutiny of DAB+ proposals.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: The BBC has responsibilities set out in its Royal Charter to avoid unnecessary adverse impacts on the market, which were underscored in the Government’s recent Mid-Term Review. HM Government will continue to monitor the effectiveness of the reforms as we approach the renewal of the BBC’s Royal Charter.The BBC is required by the Royal Charter to submit a Public Interest Test to Ofcom for review when considering making any material changes to its public service output. The Corporation is currently consulting on the Public Interest Test regarding planned new radio services.As the BBC’s independent regulator, it will be for Ofcom to review the evidence provided and robustly to hold the BBC to account in meeting its obligations to both its audiences and the market.

Tourism: Passenger Ships

Baroness Randerson: To ask His Majesty's Government how many tourists visitEngland each year (1) on a cruise ship, and (2) to go on a cruise holiday; and what percentage of all tourists these numbers represent.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: Our data on cruise passengers do not include a breakdown of passengers by nationality. The table below shows the total number of passengers arriving in the UK on international cruises between 2018 and 2022.Total Passenger Arrivals on International Cruises:YearTotal Passengers (in thousands)20182,20820192,1712020107202118120221,994

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Artificial Intelligence

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps are being taken by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to draft new legislation to regulate the growth of artificial intelligence applications.

Viscount Camrose: In the AI Regulation White Paper consultation response, the Government noted that all countries will eventually need to legislate. The Government also set out initial thinking on the case for highly targeted binding measures for the most powerful general purpose AI models. However, the Government emphasised that it would not rush to regulate until there is a mature understanding of risk, else regulation could prove ineffective and stifle innovation. The Government has also established the AI Safety Institute to understand and evaluate the safety of AI models within Government.

Computers: China

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask His Majesty's Government whether national security clearance was sought by the Science and Technology Facilities Council, and approved, before purchasing the Lenovo supercomputer from a Chinese electronics company.

Viscount Camrose: The government has been clear that when tensions arise between its objectives in relation to China, national security will always come first. This procurement took place through a robust public sector procurement process with all necessary qualifying security criteria The UK's world leading cyber security experts are providing the necessary support and advice to assure the security of the system, as is normal.

Artificial Intelligence: Business

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps are being taken to address the concerns of the Chief Executive of the Competition and Markets Authority that a small number of tech companies creating AI Foundation Models are developing partnerships which shape the markets in their own interest.

Viscount Camrose: The Government is committed to ensuring that digital markets work well for businesses and consumers. The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill will give the CMA new, faster and more effective tools to identify and address competition issues in digital markets, including AI foundation model markets. The Bill is on track to receive Royal Assent in spring subject to parliamentary timings, and we expect the regime will come into force in Autumn this year. In the meantime, the CMA has been using its existing markets and mergers tools to look into AI foundation models. It will be for the CMA as the independent regulator to decide how to exercise its new and existing powers to address any competition issues in digital markets as they develop.

Universities: Innovation and Research

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential impact on university research and innovation of the reduction in applications from overseas postgraduate students.

Viscount Camrose: We are committed to ensuring the UK and our world-leading universities remain competitive and attractive to the brightest and the best and that UK students have chances to excel at postgraduate study.Postgraduate courses in the UK attract healthy levels of interest from domestic and overseas graduates.We will monitor this closely to ensure the UK continues to attract and retain the best research talent.

Department for Education

Students: Finance

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: To ask His Majesty's Government what is the current value of the resource accounting and budgeting charge for student finance.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to publish an update tothe calculation of the resource accounting and budgeting charge for student finance; and whether they propose to make any changes to the basis for calculation used at the time it was last updated.

Baroness Barran: In the 2022/23 financial year, the Resource Accounting and Budgeting (RAB) charge was £5.5 billion, or 27% of the £20.0 billion of loans issued that financial year. The RAB charge for 2023/24 will be published in the department’s 2023/24 Annual Report and Accounts this summer. Of student loans issued in the 2023/24 financial year, the government is expected to subsidise:28% of full-time Plan 2 Loans.23% of part-time Plan 2 Loans.48% of Plan 2 Advanced Learner Loans.27% of full-time Plan 5 Loans.19% of part-time Plan 5 Loans.37% of Plan 5 Advanced Learner Loans.0% of Master’s Loans. These forecasts are subject to change. The final RAB forecasts for 2023/24 will be available as part of the annual student finance statistical publication, released in June 2024. The RAB charge, the government subsidy anticipated on student loans issued in any particular financial year, is calculated as the present value of student loan outlay less expected future repayments, in accordance with relevant International Financial Reporting Standards and guidance from HMT’s Government Financial Reporting Manual (FReM). The FReM requires future repayments of student loans to be discounted at the higher of the intrinsic rate and HMT’s discount rate, based on analysis of real yields on UK index linked Gilts and are specifically appropriate to central government. The FReM is kept under constant review. It is updated to reflect developments in relevant standards and best practice.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Renewable Energy: Supply Chains

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the UK renewables deployment supply chain readiness study, published on 17 April; and what steps they are taking to address the UK’s renewable energy supply chain constraints.

Lord Callanan: The global renewables sector is growing at unprecedented rate putting extreme pressure on supply chains across the world. HM Government has chosen to invest in developing and maintaining a supply chain to support British renewables growth. This includes over £1 billion of funding through the Green Industries Growth Accelerator to support investments in manufacturing capabilities for key clean energy sectors. In addition, Government has recently announced the introduction of Sustainable Industry Rewards through the Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme as well as the ‘primary list’ projects for the £160m Floating Offshore Wind Manufacturing Investment Scheme.

Boiler Upgrade Scheme: Energy Performance Certificates

Lord Stunell: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the whole life net carbon savings which will be forfeited as a result of removing the requirement for Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant applicants to comply with Energy Performance Certificate recommendations, in particular arising from (1) the need to specify an oversized heat pump if a home is not improved, and (2) the impact on the existing annual pipeline of grant applicants, many of whom would have proceeded to install in compliance with the old requirements.

Lord Callanan: Removing the insulation requirements from the Boiler Upgrade Scheme will reduce barriers to scheme participation and increase the number of property owners moving from polluting fossil fuel heating systems to low carbon heating systems. Whilst we are empowering consumers to decide what is right for them, it remains government guidance that properties should be well insulated to save money on bills. In addition, we will continue to mandate that installers on the scheme are MCS certified to ensure systems are appropriately designed and sized for the property and customers are provided with advice on bills.